Harahan police have arrested three suspects in connection with house burglaries in the city. But authorities are investigating whether the trio has ties to several more break-ins in the New Orleans area.

View full sizeCharles Kerner, left; Charlotte Metzler, center; and Stephen Wiltz, right, have been charged in a series of house burglaries in Harahan.

Officers first arrested Charlotte Metzler, 21, of Slidell, and Charles Kerner, 30, of River Ridge, on Oct. 19 as the pair allegedly tried to pawn jewelry taken in a residential burglary, according to Harahan Police Chief Mac Dickinson. Metzler and Kerner were booked with simple burglary and possession of stolen property.

But during questioning, Kerner revealed the involvement of a third suspect, Stephen Wiltz, 42, of New Orleans. Kerner admitted to dropping off either Wiltz or both Wiltz and Metzler at three Harahan homes between Sept. 27 and Oct. 19 where they stole jewelry, guns or other property, arrest reports said.

In one incident, Wiltz is accused of taking more than $49,000 worth of jewelry from a Generes Drive home and pawning it for $2,000. In another break-in, Wiltz and Metzler allegedly took an AR-15 assault rifle and two pistols from an OK Avenue home and traded the weapons for heroin, arrest reports said.

Kerner told investigators that the trio used the technique to about burglarize about 25 residences, the arrest report said. Dickinson said investigators believe many of those houses are in other jurisdictions.

"We're working together with the Criminal Intelligence Unit to go through the previous burglaries and see if we can identify them," Dickinson said, referring to the newly created information-sharing partnership between the local law enforcement agencies.

Wiltz, of 4708 S. Peters St., was taken into custody Wednesday in New Orleans. He was transported to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna and booked with four counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, arrest reports said.

He was still being held there Friday on a $400,000 bond. Wiltz pleaded guilty in 1999 to residence burglary in Jefferson Parish District Court and to attempted possession of cocaine in Orleans Parish Criminal Court. He was sentenced to five years in prison in both cases.

Metzler, of 2176 City Drive, Slidell, was booked Thursday with additional charges, including two counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling. She was being held Friday on a $250,000 bond.

Kerner was released Oct. 20 on $30,000 bond. He could not be reached Friday for comment.